A Writer's Outlook on the Craft of Writing, Getting Published, and the Big One... Life.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Wrong Word Usage - Part 2

Today is the second in a series of lessons on correct word usage. I’ll post one lesson a week. The words we’re going to look at today are: farther/further, beside/besides, breach/breech, coma/comma, and bare/bear. Do you know how to correctly use these words? Let’s see…

Farther/Further: While some people are perfectly fine with these two words used interchangeably, others don’t agree. The Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition) uses the traditional distinction in that “farther” denotes a physical distance and “further” is used for a figurative distance. “She drove farther and farther away.” “Look no further.”

Breach/Breech: “Breach” means something broken off or open. For example, “to breach a contract is to break a contract” or “to breach a damn is to break through the damn.” Here’s a trick to remembering which “breach/breech” to use. If you can substitute the “ch” for a “k” and it spells “break”, then you know it means “to break something.” “Breech” refers to a bum. For example, “a breech birth means the baby is coming out bum or feet first instead of head first.”

Coma/Comma: “Coma” means someone is in a long-term unconscious state. “Comma” is a punctuation mark.

Bare/Bear: Most people know that “bear” is the furry creature you’d prefer to admire from afar. However, there is another use for “bear”. “Mothers bear children.” “Students bear the responsibility of earning good grades.” In other words, “bear” can mean “carry.” “Bear” can also mean “support the weight of”, “to have as a characteristic”, and “to allow.” “Bare” means “naked.” So, when someone asks you to bear with them, they’re asking you to have patience, but if someone wants you to bare with them, they’re asking you to undress.

As you can see using words incorrectly can get you into trouble, especially if you mix up “bare” and “bear”. Have any of these given you grief in the past?

Followers

Subscribe via email

About Me

Lynnette Labelle is a freelance editor with over fifteen years of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers. Her clients range from new writers to New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors like Roni Loren, Rebecca Hamilton, and Cristin Harber. Lynnette works with writers seeking traditional publishing and indie authors. She specializes in developmental and line editing combos as well as manuscript evaluations. She helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses, and teaches several writing classes.
If you're looking for a freelance editor, check out her website: www.labelleseditorialservices.com